Save You
by SometimesAllYouNeedIs1
Summary: Peyton's been gone for a long time, Brooke will stop at nothing to bring her back. Will Brooke ever find her? Breyton. Read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Another new plot bunny, I know... I couldn't get this idea out of my head though and had to write it down and felt like it was a really interesting start to a story. You guys will have to let me know if you agree. I wanted to give myself a challenge, I've never written from Brooke's head so it was a bit of a challenge, I'm more a P. Sawyer girl just because I relate with her so much. I came up with the idea based off a Kelly Clarkson song called "Save You", mixed with Blink 182's "I Miss You", you will see the influences of those songs throughout this story. That is... if you want me to continue. Sophia being casted as a cop in Chicago PD also gave me a nudge to write this as well.

Disclaimer - I own nothing.

* * *

"So, how do you feel today Brooke?" Her therapist asked looking up at the brunette from over her glasses while scrawling notes in her notebook.

"The same. This isn't going to help me. I'm only here for one reason and that's because Haley is making me come here." Brooke responded agitated.

"Brooke, you've been coming here over a year now… don't you think it's time you opened up about some of these things you're feeling inside? It can't hurt… We aren't going to make progress if you won't talk about it, right?" The therapist asked back with a smile.

"What the hell is there to talk about exactly? Talking about it won't bring her back, will it? No! Why don't you write that down in your little book!" Brooke responded jumping up from the couch and headed out the door slamming it behind her.

* * *

It had been three years.

Three years.

Six months.

17 days.

The pain only had gotten worse as the time had gone on.

She had tried everything, but nothing would make it stop and nothing would bring her back.

She was dying a slow death and all Brooke could wonder was where she was. If she was still alive out there, somewhere, safe. That's all she could hope for. Anything else was just… unbearable.

All the money in the world hadn't helped so far. No leads. No clues of her whereabouts.

Vanished.

And no one even seemed to care anymore except for her. Everyone had moved on with their lives.

But she was stuck here. Standing still. She watched as everyone moved on and she'd never be able to, not without Peyton.

And all she felt was guilt.

This was her fault. She would never be able to shake the nightmare of the night it happened.

Maybe things would be different if she had just….

"Oh no, you aren't doing this to yourself again, Brooke!" Haley said entering the room and plopping down on the bed.

"Doing what?" Brooke responded not lifting her head from the pillow.

"You! You're in Peyton's bed, clutching that same picture frame Brooke…" Haley responded gently trying to be understanding of her friend.

"Nothing smells like her anymore Haley… Nothing…" Brooke responded with a crack in her voice threatening to lose her composure again.

"Well, sweetie, you've been sleeping in here three years…. And you've worn just about all of her band tees to sleep for the same amount of time… of course it's not going to smell like her anymore." Haley responded softly soothing her hair.

"I've used every detergent I could. Even the one Peyton used… That's what Peyton did when her mom died you know? When things stopped smelling like her, she washed this shirt of hers like… a million times in a million different detergents trying to get it to smell like her mom again. I helped her of course… but we could never bring it to smell like her mom again… It was just gone…" Brooke said on the verge of a breakdown.

"Brooke… you've got to stop doing this to yourself. Dr. Feldman called me today and told me you walked out of your session… that's certainly not going to help." Haley was trying to help, but she was running out of ways to try to help her friend. She missed Peyton too, but not like Brooke did. No one did.

"Look, I know she helped you when you and Nathan were going through a bad time and she's helped you guys become a family with Jamie again… but she can't help me with this. No one can Hales. There's only one thing that's going to help me and that's finding my P. Sawyer…" Brooke said tracing her fingers over the picture frame again.

"You aren't going to stop, are you?" Haley asked.

"She never gave up on me Haley… I'm not going to give up on finding her. And you guys shouldn't either." Brooke sat up angry with her for even questioning it. Who was she to tell her to back down?

"Whoa… look Brooke. I miss her too. And so does Nathan. And so does Jamie… Do you not think I have to make up stories to tell Jamie every day to convince him his Aunt Peyton is okay? But I haven't let it consume my life like you have. Peyton wouldn't have wanted that." Haley responded defensive.

"You don't know anything about what Peyton would have wanted Haley. You have no idea." Brooke responded bitterly still looking at the frame between her fingers.

Haley decided she was fighting a losing battle, and had been for over three years now. She took the frame from Brooke's hands and eyed it carefully, the two best friends wrapped in each other's arms smiling wide, but Brooke was looking at Peyton almost looking like she was whispering a secret only meant for the other in her ear as she held her face in her hands and Peyton open mouthed smiled for the camera. They both looked so genuinely happy. A look Haley hadn't seen, not even remotely close, on Brooke's face since that day three years ago. She placed the frame back on Peyton's bedside table and looked back at Brooke.

"Mia's in town you know? We just finished up her second album. Come over for dinner tonight. Lucas and Lindsey are back from New York…. And Jamie misses you. It'll be fun!" Haley said upbeat.

"Fun… yeah." Brooke scoffed, "I do miss my Godson though…" Brooke sighed. She didn't know how to have fun anymore; she had found rare, very rare moments where she had let her guard down enough to enjoy life in the slightest. But they had been very few and far between and only lasted seconds. And in those moments, she felt guilty for even feeling any sense of joy at all.

Haley got up from the bed and made her way to the door, "I'll see you tonight. Come over around six."

* * *

Brooke forced herself to take a shower and get ready. Sleep never came anymore and on days when she wasn't working at least 12 hour days to keep busy, she found herself holing up in Peyton's room, much like Peyton used to do when they were in high school. She had even learned to have an appreciation for that music she deemed horrible back in high school. Since Peyton had been gone Brooke had played all of her records numerous times, she did anything just to feel in the slightest connected to her. To have some piece of her back.

It was after 7:00 when Brooke got to Naley's. She hated leaving the house unless it was to go to work.

"Hey Brooke, didn't know if you'd show… come on in." Nathan said stepping to the side to let Brooke in. Everyone was gathered around having what seemed to be a great time. But all of it just felt wrong to Brooke. She hated that they could act so…. Normal about all this. She was just about to bolt when…

"Aunt Brooke! I've missed you!" Jamie said gripping Brooke's pant leg.

"I've missed you too buddy, sorry I've just been really busy with work." Brooke said leaning down and hugging the little boy with all her might.

"I know you're sad about Aunt Peyton… but she'll come back. I know it! I mean… Nanny Carrie took me and I came back! Grandpa Dan rescued me and saved me… Someone will save Aunt Peyton too." Jamie said with a smile.

"I hope you're right buddy." Brooke tried to force a smile, but her eyes just welled with tears at her Godson's words.

"I'm glad you came over." Jamie said and went bouncing back into the living room where Skills was playing some basketball game.

Brooke hesitantly went and walked to the kitchen table where Mia, Nathan, Haley, Lucas, and Lindsey were all gathered.

Mia got up to hug Brooke, she was the only one Brooke felt no bitterness towards as she had actively tried to help in bringing Peyton back and she had seemed affected by it. Though, Nathan really tried his best too. Brooke and Mia talked all the time, but Mia rarely spent any time in Tree Hill, she tried to keep busy with touring and promoting her album. Much like Brooke, it was better to keep busy to try to occupy the thoughts constantly running through your mind and Tree Hill for Mia was a hard place to come back to.

"Hey guys… what's going on?" Brooke stated as she sat down next to Mia, across from Lindsey and Lucas.

"We were just talking about Lucas's new book; it's been pretty successful so far." Lindsey said with a smile kissing her husband on the lips. They had been married a little over 4 years now and Brooke still couldn't stand her, whereas Haley seemed to worship the ground she walked on.

"Isn't it about a Comet?" Brooke commented raising her eyebrow.

"Well…. Kinda… Not really." Lucas said.

"Do you think it's about Peyton or something, Brooke?" Lindsey stated. She'd always been insecure about Peyton and for good reason. She was talented, beautiful, kind, and she once had Lucas Scott's heart. But Peyton had made it very clear when her and Brooke came back to Tree Hill for each other, winning Lucas back was DEFINITELY not on her list of things to do. Brooke suspected however that Lucas was never able to let it go.

"It's about a Comet…." Brooke responded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Peyton loved that car more than most things in her life.

"Whatever, we all know Peyton came back here to win Lucas back… only now she's not here to deny it." Lindsey added as Lucas remained quiet at the table.

Mia, Nathan, and Brooke jumped up from their spots. Nathan mainly because he knew this would cause a feud at the dinner table. Brooke leaned across the table pointing her finger in Lindsey's face.

"How dare you bitch! She DEFINITELY wasn't back here for your sorry excuse of a husband. I can tell you that. But she will be back. And she will tell you herself!" Brooke shouted and completely walked away from the table.

"Bitch." Mia grunted.

Brooke was on one mission and that was to get the hell out of there before she turned that bitch into a dessert plate.

"Wait up, I'm coming with you." Mia said panting catching up with Brooke as she had run from the table and was almost out the front door. Brooke did a complete 360 to stare at Mia. "You look surprised, you think I would EVER let someone bash Peyton? No chance in hell. That bitch has another thing coming. Let's get out of here." Brooke nodded and Mia grabbed her suitcase and they were out the door within seconds.

"Wait up! Brooke! You didn't even eat anything…We saved you a plate since you were late." Haley said as she made her way out to the driveway where Brooke had gotten in the Comet driver's door and Mia hopped in the passenger side with her suitcase in tow.

"Not hungry… I can't believe you Haley. I can't believe you'd let someone who thinks of Peyton like that in your house… I've really tried that patience thing for you because I think it's what Peyton would've wanted. But this is just the last straw. Tell Jamie I love him and I will see him soon." She said as she backed out of the driveway.

* * *

"You have everything you need?" Brooke asked Mia as she looked around the house.

"That's a loaded question…." Mia responded with a sigh. "Seems like just yesterday I was in this house showing you guys the album covers for the first album… and now she's not here for the second one…"

"I know…" Brooke said sadly. "Let me grab you a spare blanket."

They walked into Peyton's room and Mia looked around at the albums and photographs spread amongst the room.

"You can crash in my room." Brooke said with a slight smile.

"Where are you gonna sleep?" Mia asked confused.

"I sleep in here. I have been… since you know…." Mia nodded in understanding. She never questioned like the others.

Brooke turned off all the lights around the house, triple checked the locks to make sure they were locked, and crawled into bed. Maybe with Mia in the next room she'd be able to drift off for a few hours tonight.

She grabbed the picture frame by the bed again. She did the same thing she did every night. She kissed the Peyton in the photo and whispered "I'll never stop Peyton. I will save you. I'll never give up, I'm not going anywhere."

She placed the picture back on the nightstand with one last gentle touch to the frame and turned out the light.

This would never get easier.

* * *

It had been three years.

Six months.

17 days.

Since Peyton Sawyer was kidnapped.

* * *

What do you think? Good start? Should I continue with this one? Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about my other stories :)


	2. Sweet Silver Lining

WOW! Thank you SO VERY VERY much for the amazing response on the first chapter, I feel immense pressure now to live up to! I hope I don't disappoint. I wanted to give you guys a little bit of an update... The next chapter (if you want me to continue this story) will be a Flashback to three years ago explaining what happened to Peyton.

Thank you all SO VERY much for the love, it really means the world to me. Please let me know what you think :)

* * *

"What was the last thing she said to you, Brooke?" Dr. Feldman inquired. This had to have been at least the hundredth time she had asked this question, maybe she thought today would be different and she'd get an answer. "You were the last person that saw her… I really think this would help you if you just talked about her. Your relationship with her…. Open up."

Brooke sighed. Why was this so hard to discuss with someone?

* * *

"So, I have to go to the studio today to put the last of the touches on the album and set up all the press stuff, tours, radio interviews, etc…." Mia said as she stuffed an egg into her mouth as they sat at Brooke and Peyton's counter.

"Great… guess that means you'll be seeing Haley today… Or should I say… Keeps Her Mouth Shut Girl." Brooke scoffed as she picked at her breakfast with her fork, she didn't have much of an appetite.

"Yeah… Can't WAIT to bitch her out this morning!" Mia responded with a half-smile trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm just so sick of them not giving a shit about it… You'd think nothing had ever happened… Whereas, me on the other hand, I can barely function…" Brooke breathed feeling sick to her stomach, the thought of Peyton being gone feeling way too real again all of a sudden. Sometimes the feeling alone was almost more than she could take.

"I know, we will get her back though. That new detective you have on board, he's been pretty good, after all, he helped you get Peyton's fake brother the second time he escaped right? I have a good feeling." Mia said patting Brooke's knee and hopping up from the counter. "Thanks for letting me crash, I'll probably be in Tree Hill one more night, you mind if I stay here again?"

"Of course not, it's kinda nice having the company. Good luck at the studio today with Traitor Girl." Brooke huffed as she watched Mia digging through her duffle bag.

"Don't worry, I plan to give her a piece of my mind. And that little twat Lindsey too. I really think you should go back to your therapist today Brooke, or at least try, it might help? After all, you hardly eat, and those horrible bags under your eyes speak for themselves." Mia said with a smile.

"Gee… Thanks… But you're right. Maybe it will." Brooke sighed, she hated therapy. She didn't need a therapist to tell her how fucked up all of this was, how maybe she'd be able to move on one day, how she needed to talk about Peyton. Wasn't it enough that every waking, and non-waking, moment was consumed with thoughts of her favorite blonde?

"Here—" Mia said handing her a demo CD. "It's not officially released yet, but I want you to have it. Listen to Track 5, I wrote it for Peyton, well, kinda about you and Peyton, but about Peyton regardless. She's coming back Brooke, I know it." Brooke took the CD and eyed the back cover, _Track 5: Sweet Silver Lining_.

"Try to get out of the house today Brooke, it might do you some good." Mia said with one last touch of her shoulder and she was out the door. _She wrote it about me and Peyton?_

* * *

Brooke drove to the gym, much like she did every morning, except it was normally before dawn when she got there since she never slept. She'd gotten herself in very buff physical condition ever since Peyton's disappearance preparing herself for anything.

Heading out of the gym she took small comfort in driving in the Comet, Peyton's pride and joy. She took the back streets of Tree Hill and decided to pop in Mia's album when all of Peyton's CD's fell onto the floor of the car, "Damn…" Brooke mumbled to herself and leaned over to pick the CD back up, but when she did, she had to slam on the brakes. Good thing she just got them replaced.

"JESUS! Why don't you watch where you're going next time old lady?!" A young girl, maybe fifteen or sixteen, yelled back to Brooke as she pulled a headphone from her ear. They continued to make eye contact for a moment as Brooke's heart continued hammering in her chest.

"Stupid damn town… God I hate this place." The girl mumbled putting her ear bud back in her ear and continued her jog.

Brooke had to laugh at the irony of it; it had been in this very spot back in sophomore year of high school that Peyton almost ran Lucas over in the very same car. Peyton had talked about it for days, right down to the very crosswalk it happened in.

Brooke regained her composure and popped the CD in and continued driving as she listened to the lyrics. _I may be weak but I'm never defeated, And I'll keep believing, In clouds with that sweet silver lining. Most days I try my best to put on a brave face. But inside my bones are cold and my heart breaks. But all the while something's keeping me safe and alive. I won't give up like this, I will be given strength, now that I've found it…._

Mia's words hit Brooke like a ton of bricks over the head. So much so that she had to pull over to absorb the lyrics and try to regain her composure.

Her words made Brooke feel a sense of encouragement, hope even. And with that she drove to do something she knew she had to do in order to take the next step. Something she'd been avoiding.

* * *

"Hi… Uhhh… I'm here to see Dr. Feldman." Brooke's hands were shaking and her heart was pounding, she felt lightheaded.

"Come on back, Brooke, I will get her for you." The middle aged receptionist said with a smile.

Brooke sat in the oversized room thinking about how over the top it was.

"Hey Brooke, glad to see you back so soon…" Dr. Feldman said entering the room and sitting opposite from Brooke.

"Yeah… I… I was driving around and just kinda ended up here. I think I'm ready to maybe talk about her a little." Brooke said stuffing her hands underneath her as she rocked her body back and forth. She missed Peyton. That's all there was to it, and she wanted her back, more than stupid words to some stupid therapist could ever explain. But she'd bottled everything up for so long that she suddenly felt like she was going to explode.

"Okay... Did something happen Brooke?"

"Haley and I got in an argument… I just don't understand any of them and how they can just…. Act like she never existed. I can't move on with any aspect of my life, I don't know how they are. I'm just SO fucking angry…. With all of them. I feel so much bitterness towards them. Anger." Brooke stated almost seething, the words spilling from her mouth.

"Well, Brooke, you and Peyton had a different relationship than they did. You two were best friends, it's normal for you to feel this way….I think they are grieving in their own ways. Have you tried dating, Brooke? Or just going out with friends? Something to take your mind off it…" Dr. Feldman responded.

"Dating? Ha. I haven't had one date since…." Brooke could never bring herself to say the words "kidnapped" or "taken" out loud. She just couldn't, it would make the situation too real.

"Maybe you should try?"

"No offense lady, but I can't even function throughout a normal day just being me. There's no way I could worry about someone else too. Peyton has been my whole world since we were eight; do you know what it's like to have that suddenly ripped away from you? And it's all MY fault! She's been the only constant in my life. The only person that's ever loved me for who I am. Who saw me for who I am… not the celebrity of it all, or the mask I put on to the outside world, she actually saw me. She's the only person that ever did. And now that's gone and I have no idea where she is. If she's safe…. If she's even alive. I never even told her how much I loved her…" Brooke said tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't understand why she was explaining all of this to this woman, she'd never said it out loud, but maybe it was easier telling a stranger than people that knew Peyton.

"What was the last thing she said to you, Brooke?" Dr. Feldman inquired. This had to have been at least the hundredth time she had asked this question, maybe she thought today would be different and she'd get an answer. "You were the last person that saw her… I really think this would help you if you just talked about her. Your relationship with her…. Open up."

Brooke sighed. Why was this so hard to discuss with someone?

"It started off just like any other day…" Brooke began as the tears kept streaming down her face and the agonizing pain in her stomach continued to grow.

* * *

Please read and review, it'd mean lots to me :) Let me know if you want me to continue this...


	3. 3 Years, 6 Months, 18 Days

So, you guys have been asking "What happened to Peyton?" in this chapter you'll get some answers... I gotta admit, I really enjoyed writing this one. Please let me know what you think. I LOVE reading your reviews! They keep me motivated to keep writing for you guys!

* * *

"It… It uh, was beautiful outside that day…" Brooke started suddenly feeling overwhelmed with the thought of talking about this out loud and began hesitating.

"Brooke… It's okay for you to talk about this… She'd want you to talk about it to someone…" Dr. Feldman put her notebook down, pushed her glasses up onto her head, and leaned closer to Brooke as she realized the young girl in front of her was starting to panic.

"I…. Ummm… Had…. Gone to my store that day…." Brooke said, her breath becoming ragged. The thought of this just becoming too much and before she could continue, the room started spinning out of control. She knew what was happening. She could tell when they were about to happen from a mile away, but she'd gotten so familiar with this that she could talk herself out of it before she spiraled out of control, but this was sending her into a state of frenzy.

"Hey, Brooke…. Calm down sweetie, it's okay. Focus on my voice." Dr. Feldman calmly stated placing her palm on Brooke's knee to reassure her that she was okay. "What happened at your store that day Brooke?" But that's when Dr. Feldman saw the immense panic evade Brooke's eyes. She could never get Brooke to talk about that day and this was the closest Brooke had ever come to opening up about it.

The panic attacks started over a year ago. Over as something as simple as eye shadow. Eye shadow. That had been Brooke's trigger that first day that set her off. Haley came to Dr. Feldman's office that next morning and explained Brooke's situation to her and begged that she help her friend who had had a snap at her the day before over buying some eye shadow at the store.

At first, Dr. Feldman couldn't wrap her head around why buying eye shadow would set the amazingly successful brunette off. It wasn't until her third session with Brooke that she realized that every Tuesday, Peyton and Brooke went to the mall to buy eye shadow and whatever CD Peyton was hunting for that week. The eye shadow had been Brooke's trigger that week. The start of the panic attacks. The many that would follow.

Brooke was finally starting to wear down. She had searched, high, low, coast-to-coast, gone door-to-door, she'd hired teams of investigators, detectives, agents. Every search always came up empty handed. They had been searching for over two and a half years and they had no leads, not even a prospect of a lead, hope was wearing thin. And that's when the attacks started. When the fear that Peyton may never return started setting in Brooke's mind, the fear and the guilt.

Dr. Feldman still didn't know what happened that day, but she knew whatever it was, Brooke definitely blamed herself for it and that was a guilt Brooke wore heavily every day. It was something Dr. Feldman deeply wanted to get to the bottom of. She had her own theories on why all of this was so difficult for Brooke, but she learned to practice patience and she wasn't sure if Brooke had come to terms with it just yet. Of course she had read the police reports, but the police reports didn't explain the words exchanged between the brunette and her blonde best friend, so for now, she'd have to keep waiting for Brooke to open up about what happened.

"Brooke… You were talking about what happened at your store that day. I'd really like to hear about it…" Dr. Feldman encouraged Brooke to continue on, she was so close to breaking through the barrier.

"I…. I can't do this…. I'm sorry. I tried…. I really tried." Brooke said, her chest still heaving as she tried to calm herself from the inevitable panic attack that was coming. She grabbed her coat, wiped her eyes, stormed out of the office, and headed straight for the comfort of the Comet.

She wondered if she'd ever be able to talk about it again. She had to give her initial police report, so obviously her close friends knew what happened that day, but they didn't know the immense guilt Brooke submerged herself in. They didn't know what Peyton said. The look she gave her. The pain she felt. The ache in her heart. They didn't know any of it. And she swore it got worse every second of every day.

As she drove, she drove past her store and saw Millie in the window helping some customers; she couldn't help but flashback to that night over three years ago. The one that left her so broken. She reached over to feel her purse, just to feel the comfort of the concealed item in her bag that never left her side. She exhaled feeling a small comfort in having the item so close.

Brooke arrived home a few minutes later and was relieved when Mia wasn't there. She really needed a little time to sort herself out after what had happened in the therapist's office. She threw her keys down on the counter, tossing her purse and jacket alongside it and headed straight for Peyton's room stripping off items of clothing as she went.

When she entered the room, she threw on one of Peyton's shirts, her favorite Ramones black tank and a pair of sweatpants and threw herself under the covers grabbing the frame between her fingers again. Brooke stared at the photograph, much like she spent a lot of her time doing, and whispered as the tears spilled down her face,

"It started off just like any other day….A great day…"

* * *

_**Flashback to three years, six months, 18 days ago…**_

_"Good morning B. Davis!" Peyton excitedly announced taking a sip from her coffee as Brooke entered their kitchen groggily._

_"Peyton…? What the…? What time is it? Why are you so…. Chirpy? It's before noon. And you're awake. And happy…. What've you done with my best friend?" Brooke grunted eyeing her carefully rubbing her eyes as she plopped down at the counter. Peyton scooted Brooke's coffee in front of her, just the way she liked it. Peyton knew everything about her. _

_"Well, I figured it's not every day that my best friend's gown won best dressed at the academy awards last night! So I made you breakfast. Your favorite." Peyton said with a smile. _

_"I WON?! I didn't even know that I won! Oh my God!" Brooke said jumping up, nearly spilling the coffee in her wake and running to the other side of the counter to hug Peyton. _

_"Of course you won. I knew you would, I'm so proud of you Brooke. Lucas at least got it right with one thing, Brooke Davis is gonna change the world someday. At least we all know it now." Peyton said pulling Brooke out of the hug and keeping her at arm's length to look into her chocolate eyes. Peyton was beaming with pride. "Here's the magazine that came with YOUR dress on the cover."_

_Brooke was shocked. And happy. And shocked some more. _

_"Oh my God, Peyt… This is…. Wow…. Thank you so much for your help with the dress, with…. My mother… with…. All of it. Thank you. Oh my God! I can't believe I won!" Brooke said grasping the magazine in her hands frantically flipping through the pages. _

_"Well, believe it. Now. Sit down would you. I'm serving your ass breakfast. And before you say anything… NO I didn't burn the house down… And NO the fire alarm isn't going to go off." Peyton said kissing the side of Brooke's head as she pushed she forward to go sit and put the plate of pancakes on the table. She was so proud of her. _

_"Chocolate chip pancakes! My favorite!" Brooke said even more excitedly, her dimples on full view. Peyton shook her head at her best friend; she loved how excited she got about things. It was one of the many things she loved about her. _

_"I told you I was making your favorite silly. AND they are good. Now, eat up!" Peyton said as Brooke tossed the magazine down and began diving right into her breakfast. _

_They sat in silence for a few minutes as Peyton read the paper and Brooke ate breakfast. This was their normal routine when they were up together in the mornings. _

_"So, first Ravens game of the season tonight, are you going?" Peyton asked turning the paper towards Brooke as Brooke inhaled another bite of pancake. The article had a picture of Lucas and Skills, along with Nathan and Whitey with the headliner 'Back for another season, what will this year hold?'_

_"Oh my God Peyton! These pancakes are the best ever! I may have to domesticate ya and get ya to make me these every morning." Peyton laughed back at Brooke, she halfway understood that between her chomping through pancake bits._

_"Brooke, I'm pretty sure I'd kill someone for you if you asked nicely… I've already been to jail for you sweetie." Peyton responded back truthfully._

_"You love it!" Brooke said pointing her fork at her._

_"SO Ravens game, are you going?" Peyton asked back. She knew what Brooke was going to say, and she didn't really want to go, but she knew Brooke would want to go for Jamie. But she hated being around Lucas and Lindsey, not for the reasons you'd think. She definitely wasn't interested in Lucas, in fact, she often wondered why she'd risked her friendship with Brooke TWICE for that jackass. It was more because she really didn't like Lindsey, no matter how much she tried to get along with her. They'd been married for a little over six months though, so she would keep trying, and Haley seemed to adore her. It was also the second season of Skills and Lucas coaching the team, and she knew Brooke would want to be there. _

_"I told Jimmie Jam I would, BUT only if his Aunt Peyton was with me." Brooke said with a smug look on her face. She knew damn well she would get Peyton to go to that game with her. _

_"Uggggh. Damnit Brooke. You're lucky you're so pretty. It's why you get away with everything." Peyton said rising from the table, tossing the paper to the side, and walked over to put her shoes on. _

_"Don't act like that killer smile and those doughy green eyes doesn't get you everything you want with me, Sawyer! Where are you going by the way?" Brooke said noticing Peyton was putting on her converses to leave the house._

_"Studio. Meeting Mia for the LAST of the tour details today with Ryan Adams and we are DONE! I'm so excited!" Peyton responded with obvious joy in her voice. _

_"You're leaving me? After I won like the best award ever or something?!" Brooke said with a pout. _

_"What do you want from me Davis? I made you breakfast, besides… aren't you gonna be late? Now that Bitch-toria is gone, you gotta pump up your game!" Peyton said with a laugh as she threw on her leather jacket. _

_"Peyton… I never said thank you by the way. If it wasn't for you, I never would've gotten the courage to stand up to my horrible bitch of a mother and get the balls to fire her. I owe you. I'm sorry for all the horrible things she said when it all went down…." Brooke said looking down as she traced the lip of her coffee cup with her index finger. _

_Peyton sighed and walked back over to Brooke, no matter how hard she tried, she'd never be able to convince Brooke that she was way too good for her mother. That she deserved better. _

_"Brooke, you don't owe me anything sweetie. You did that all on your own. It's going to be hard, but I'm going to help you. And I don't care what your mom says about me, hell she's never liked me. But I do care what she says about you Brooke. You are not stupid." Peyton picked up the magazine and handed it to Brooke again placing her hands on her shoulders, "This magazine proves how amazing you are, don't ever doubt that. Now, I'll see you tonight? I'll pick you up at the store and we can go to this stupid ass basketball game together?" Peyton said leaning away from Brooke releasing her grip on her shoulders._

_"Sounds like a plan P. Sawyer. Tonight." Brooke said with a smile slapping the blonde's ass as she darted out the door. She heard the sounds of the Mercury Comet and loud rock music blaring and backing out the driveway. She couldn't help but smile to herself looking down at the magazine in her hands again, today was going to be great._

* * *

_The day had drug on for Brooke, the store had been pretty busy, and she'd been on the phone most of the day about dissolving her partnership with her so-called "mother" and the repercussions of just what firing Victoria two weeks earlier had done. Victoria was trying to sue Brooke for majority ownership and the rights to the name Clothes Over Bro's. Needless to say, it had been stressful. _

_The sun was finally setting and she knew Peyton would be in soon so they could head over to the game. All she needed was a night out with her friends and to see little Jamie, and then to come back to her house with Peyton and drink wine and de-stress. Peyton always made Brooke feel better. _

_All throughout the day, her thoughts had drifted to the blonde, which wasn't an unusual occurrence. She found herself counting down the minutes until she'd get to spend time with her tonight and she couldn't believe Peyton actually made her breakfast that morning. It made her heart flutter, and she couldn't understand why. _

_She started counting the money in the drawer to get ready to close up for the night when she got a text from Peyton saying she was on her way, with their favorite Chinese food in tow. She heard the chimes go off over the door, not bothering to look up as she counted the money. _

_"Sorry we're closed." Brooke said._

_When Brooke didn't receive a reply, she looked up, to find a masked figure who appeared to be a very large man standing in the doorway of her store. Her heartbeat instantly picked up and she realized she was very, very alone._

_"Look mister, you can take the money." Brooke said, fear evident in her voice. _

_"I'm not here for money. I don't need money. I'm here for you Ms. Davis. You're coming with me." He said as he pulled a gun out and pointed it right at Brooke's chest approaching her quickly. _

_Brooke dropped the money and tried to slowly reach for her cell phone in her pocket to dial 911. She couldn't think quick enough to process any of it. Another masked figure stepped through the door approaching._

_"Dude, what's taking so long? Come on. Grab her and let's go." The other smaller man said to the man who had a gun still pointed to Brooke's chest. _

_"I'm not going anywhere with you assholes!" Brooke screamed frantically dialing the number in her left hand, out of sight from the intruders. _

_The other man approached with a long black stick in his hand as they yanked Brooke from behind the counter. _

_"What are you doing, bitch!" Brooke's phone went flying across the room, but fortunately she had successfully connected the call first. "You're gonna pay for that!" The smaller of the two took the stick and beat Brooke near the neck with the stick, hard, causing her to tumble backwards and see stars in her eyes. _

_"Dude… What the hell. We were supposed to grab her and get out of here. Now pick her up and let's go!" The taller masked man stated. _

_Brooke was regaining her consciousness on the floor as she saw the two men arguing above her, she had to figure out a way out of this…. Maybe if she just…._

_"HEY! Who the FUCK ARE YOU?!" Peyton said entering Clothes Over Bro's dropping the bag of Chinese food by the door. _

_"Dude! I told you. You were supposed to grab her and get the fuck out of here. This is getting messy." The taller man hoisted Brooke over his shoulder as she screamed beating his back. _

_"Put her down right now!" Peyton shouted, her temper showing through as her hands balled up into fists. _

_"What are you gonna do blondie? Get out of the way or I swear to God I will beat you to death. We are taking your precious friend here, get the fuck out of my way!" The shorter masked man said as he stood in front of the taller man who had Brooke hoisted over his shoulder. _

_Peyton had to think fast. She had to use her instinct, and all she knew was that she couldn't let anything happen to Brooke. She just couldn't. They had protected each other their whole lives, it was instinct. So she said the only thing that possibly made sense in the situation. _

_"Take me instead." Peyton said stepping in front of them, not daring to back down. _

_"PEYTON NO!" Brooke shouted, the pain in her head still in effect, she was on the edge of passing out again, but she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let them take Peyton._

_"Mighty brave of ya princess." The smaller man stated, but then an idea struck him and he looked to his partner who was still holding the gun. _

_"Wait a minute, you're Sawyer. Peyton Sawyer?" The taller and larger of the two stated, placing Brooke back down on the floor. He pointed the gun at Brooke again. "That could work… what do you think?" _

_"I don't give a fuck. Take one of them, or both of them, and let's get out of here." The shorter of the two yelled back, it sounded like sirens could be heard in the far distance or maybe he was just being paranoid. _

_"You know that's against the rules! One girl. And we better choose the right one or they are going to be pissed!" The taller of the two shouted back. _

_"Stop pointing that gun at her…" Peyton said stepping in closer, making sure to shield Brooke from the gun being aimed towards her. "Take me… Please." Peyton said pleading with her eyes, but her voice never wavered, she didn't sound afraid, she just didn't want them to take Brooke. _

_"Peyton… what are you doing, you can't do that… please don't do this to me." Brooke said hot tears forming on her cheeks as she feared they'd listen to Peyton and take her away, she was able to make contact with her hand and tug her closer as the taller man still stood there with a gun pointed to them._

_Peyton reached up and wiped the tears falling from Brooke's cheek quickly. She knew in her heart she didn't have much time. "It's going to be okay Brooke. I love you. I've always loved you. Don't worry, it's going to be okay." _

_Peyton felt the larger man scoop her up into his arms. She leaned in quickly and pressed her lips briefly to Brooke's lips. It happened so fast, Brooke wasn't even sure it happened at all. _

_Brooke stood there. Motionless. Saying nothing as he lifted Peyton up. The sirens were approaching._

_"Shit. That's the cops man! Did you call the cops bitch?! LET'S GO!" The shorter man said looking towards Brooke, he leaned over and beat her hard in the leg with the stick causing her to stumble and fall down. She still hadn't gotten over the blow to the head, but she couldn't let them leave with Peyton. They rushed towards the door, still pointing the gun at Brooke in case she tried to make a last run for it. _

_Brooke crawled towards the door, searching in her mind thinking of something she could do to get Peyton back. She couldn't let these guys leave with her. She was everything. She always was everything. She couldn't leave. She was the constant. The one that held her life together. _

_She saw them toss Peyton in the white van their eyes connecting one final time before the door slammed shut. She didn't look afraid. She looked relieved almost. She mouthed to Brooke "It's okay" and the door slammed. And they were speeding off. Brooke tried crawling her way to the rest of the door, determined to get in her car and follow Peyton and then everything went black. _

_She didn't know how long she'd been out, but when she awoke, it was to a team of medical workers and ambulance lights all around her and when her eyes finally focused, all they could focus on was a bag of Chinese food by the door with Peyton's name sprawled across the bag. _

_**End Flashback**_

"I'm sorry I never said it back P. Sawyer….You've got to come back to me so I can say it back… Please don't leave me like this. Please… We weren't meant to end this way…." Brooke sobbed clutching the picture frame as she relived that night in her head once again.

The guilt over Peyton being taken when it should've been her… the guilt she felt when she didn't tell her she loved her too.

It was all too much.

How much could one heart take?

* * *

Reviews - I love them!


	4. A Lead?

So, I've been experiencing that horrible thing known as WRITERS BLOCK! It's like the worst thing ever. I was able to finally write this update and I'm not entirely happy with it, but you guys will have to let me know what you think! I am hoping the words will come to update my other stories as well, I've been lacking inspiration in my life recently. I really do love this story though and am intrigued by it myself :)

Side note - Happy 10 Year Anniversary to OTH tomorrow! And Hilarie's new show Hostages premiers tomorrow, so make sure you guys check that out as well, pretty cool it's airing on the 10 year anniversary!

* * *

Brooke was fighting sleep as she thought back to an earlier session she had had a few weeks ago with Dr. Feldman.

_"Tell me about a good day you two had." Dr. Feldman asked. _

_"Every day with Peyton was a good day…. Well, that's not true…. We definitely had our share of turmoil through our complex friendship. But, we always found our way back to each other… It was too hard to be apart. If I think about it… if that had been anyone else, I would've just cut them out." Brooke said with a slight laugh, it was crazy everything that Peyton and her had survived together. And that's what they were supposed to be doing – still going through life together. _

_"Why do you think that was?" Dr. Feldman asked, intrigued. _

_"We just loved each other too much to stay away I guess…" Brooke hesitated before continuing, "We've never really gone a day without talking to each other… We've been there for each other for everything, even through the bad times. She always found a way to make things better for me. And now she's gone and I just… I just don't know how to handle it. And I can't get her back… I… What if she doesn't come back to me? I'm lost without her. She's all I ever really had…" Brooke said breaking down._

_"But what do you suppose that means, Brooke?" Dr. Feldman replied back, she knew she was onto something she just needed Brooke to say it out loud. _

"Brooke…. Hey Brooke…." Mia said stroking Brooke's hair; Brooke's eyes fluttered open regaining her surroundings. She must've dozed off when she had gotten home from therapy hell earlier, her fingers were still glued to the picture frame which now had permanent tear stains down the front of it.

"Mia… I… must've dozed off earlier. I had a rough day and this is the only place I can find any kind of comfort so I just… came here to escape. How'd it go with Traitor Girl today?" Brooke replied still looking at the photo.

"Brooke…." Mia started; she didn't want to get Brooke's hopes up. This had happened once before, and the outcome seriously broke Brooke even more than she thought possible. "I got a call at the studio a few minutes ago and rushed here, they tried calling you…"

Brooke sat up. Panicked. Suddenly very awake. What could it be?

"What is it, Mia?!"

"Detective Wilcox called me since he couldn't reach you and I was the second number on his list. He wants us to come down to the station as soon as we can… they think they may've found something… But Brooke…"

Before Mia could finish, Brooke had jumped up from Peyton's bed frantically opening the dresser drawers pulling one of Peyton's hoodie's over her head, not even bothering to change from her sweatpants. She was getting down to that station as soon as possible.

"Well Jesus Mia, why are we just sitting around?!" Brooke said frantic as she threw her shoes on and headed out of the bedroom towards the kitchen where she'd left her keys, Mia was hot on her heels.

"Brooke… I just don't want you getting your hopes up you know. This could turn out exactly like last time…" Mia said hesitant, grabbing her arm.

"Maybe it won't." Brooke said with a slight smile, feeling the slightest bit of hope.

About six months ago, Brooke had gotten a call from one of her detectives assigned to the case. They thought they had found a lead. Brooke had gone door-to-door, and had been for years passing out the missing persons flyer with Peyton's picture and her number on it. Brooke had also made sure every police station in the United States had the flyer posted, and one Thursday morning, the flyer seemed to have worked in a small town in southern Alabama. Brooke got a call from her detective that a woman saw a few suspicious looking men wondering around town with a very skinny blonde attached very close to their sides, she saw them heading back to a hotel on the south side of town – which was full of prostitutes and bad drug deals. They had to act fast if they wanted to be able to grab Peyton, if it was in fact Peyton.

Brooke called Mia and they immediately followed the detectives all the way down to Alabama bursting into a hotel room that they were sure held Peyton and her captors in. It was empty. No sign of them. It was like they had never been there. When they talked to the hotel clerks, they said the men had paid in cash and left very early that morning seeming agitated. When they were shown the picture of Peyton and asked if that was the girl with them, they seemed hesitant to answer. The girl with them they said was very thin and wore a black hoodie over her head with sunglasses so they couldn't tell if it was the same girl. But Brooke knew in her heart that it was, and she knew in her heart she'd failed Peyton again by not being able to free her from whatever hell she was living in.

They returned back to Tree Hill three days later after turning up with nothing. An empty search. Brooke was heartbroken and fell into an even deeper depression. But she had one thing she hadn't had in three years, **hope**. Peyton was alive out there somewhere. She just had to wait for them to screw up again, and next time, Brooke wouldn't let them escape without having Peyton back with her. That was a fact. She was prepared.

* * *

Mia and Brooke burst through the police station doors and headed straight back to Detective Wilcox's office.

"So, what did you find?" Brooke said as soon as she made it through the door.

"Nice to see you both… Take a seat." He responded as the busy police corridor was bustling around them.

"Cut the crap, what's the lead." Brooke responded.

"Does this look familiar to you?" Detective Wilcox responded to Brooke handing Brooke a small silver necklace.

"How did you find this?!" Brooke said standing up and pointing her finger to him as tears were starting to reach the edges of her eyes.

"A young girl, maybe 16 dropped it off here, said she found it in the park. We are questioning her now….We aren't even sure it was Peyton's. So you've seen it before Brooke?" Detective Wilcox said cocking his head to the side, confused at Brooke's outburst.

Brooke reached underneath her own shirt frantically pulling at the silver chain with nervous fingers.

"It's hers…Damnit. It's hers…." She pulled the chain off from her own neck revealing the exact same one. Her chain revealed the initials BD on the front side and PS on the back side, whereas the one in question had PS engraved into it on the front and BD on the back. Peyton had gotten them for her and Brooke on Brooke's 14th birthday and neither one of them had taken it off since. Peyton was always sure to make her birthday special, because no one else ever did. Brooke vowed that she would never take the necklace off, and she hadn't, not to this day, she even showered with it. Peyton laughed at her crazy best friend and told her she wouldn't take hers off either if it made Brooke happy.

_So why was hers off? What did that mean? And why was it found in Tree Hill? _Brooke felt it coming on again, one of those panic attacks she frequently had. She needed to calm herself down and start thinking rationally, she'd done a lot of research since the mess up last time and she couldn't let this slip through the cracks. It was far too important. She had to play this smart.

"Peyton wouldn't have taken this off; we've both worn these since we were 14…" Brooke said more as a train of thought out loud.

"Do you think she did it on purpose? To let us know she's close by?" Mia offered scratching her head, the look of confusion etching her features. She was trying to figure this out as well.

"We wanted to make sure it was hers, Brooke… and from the looks of things it is. I'm not sure about the rest of it." Detective Wilcox said with a sympathetic look on his face. He'd been dealing with Brooke and Peyton in some aspects for almost ten years now. He had been the first one on the case to find Peyton's psycho fake brother, and he'd dealt with it, when Ian Banks escaped, _twice_. He'd now been put on Ms. Sawyer's case in regards to her disappearance. When everyone had seemingly given up on Brooke and wanted to push this off as yet another case that would remain unsolved, he saw that look in her eyes when she pleaded with him to help her find Peyton. The desperation. The fear of losing the person you love the most. He looked at the picture on his desk of his wife and 5-year-old son, and he tried to think about what would happen if they were suddenly taken from his life, so he agreed to help Brooke with this case. He genuinely liked Brooke, and he liked Peyton – and the two of them protected each other, even back then, he could even see that. So he made it a point to do everything he could to help the brunette in front of him, when everyone else had seemingly given up on Peyton and her case. He wouldn't, but it was because of the brunette in front of him who loved Peyton more than life itself and would do anything to get her back. She fought for Peyton's case.

But he genuinely believed she was out there. Somewhere. Peyton Sawyer was also a fighter. And as long as she had a purpose to come back, she would, and that purpose he was finding out, was Brooke. As long as she knew someone wouldn't give up on her, she would keep fighting. That someone was Brooke, even if it was slowly killing her.

"It just doesn't make any sense to me… She wouldn't take it off. Something's not right… Does this mean… that she's… you know…?" Brooke said suddenly stopping her pacing the floors. The thought hadn't hit Brooke until just then and she felt like she'd been punched in the stomach just thinking about it.

"No, Brooke. We have no reason to believe that right now… Right now they are doing a thorough search of Tinley Park to see if anything else suspicious comes up, and we've got the girl in question right now. Why don't you two home and I will call you with more information when we find out what's going on?" Detective Wilcox replied.

"I want to talk to that girl! I want to know how she found this!" Brooke demanded slamming her hand on his desk, her rational side going straight out the window.

"Brooke, the girl said she was going for a run and happened to stumble upon it… I don't think it's a good idea if you talked to her right now. She will probably be in there a few more hours anyway." Detective Wilcox responded back. But Brooke had gotten smart to this game. She was feeling more than a little bit crazy that it was possible that Peyton could be so close, maybe even in Tree Hill somewhere and they weren't doing anything about it.

She looked down at the desk and saw the stacks of files sitting on his desk, with one on top with a picture of the girl in question, the girl she could see in the far distance in the interrogation room with her back towards her as two agents in suits were holding up pictures of Peyton and asking questions. But the girl in the photo looked familiar. Her heart started racing, it was the girl from the crosswalk. The one she nearly ran over with the Comet the other day. But when they looked at each other, Brooke had sensed something…. Off about it. That she looked at her and knew her. She decided to keep this to herself for now and talk to Mia about it later. She knew her senses were right with this. They always were when it came to things involving Peyton. But one wrong move with this could be dangerous…

Brooke wasn't stupid. They were going to play this slowly and safely to make sure they had all the right information, but Brooke needed to act as fast as possible. She needed information. She took note of the girls name on the file.

"Samantha Walker." Her and Mia locked eyes and both felt that sense of uneasiness.

She wasn't leaving that police station without some answers.

Something wasn't right… But for now she had to play their game.

* * *

Read and review pretty please :)


	5. Tell Me Everything

I'm back! Sorry for the delay... I would've posted this yesterday but I had a wine hangover, which is like one of the worst things ever, and I wanted to reread today to make sure my hungover self made sense! I'm getting too old lol... (I'm not old, but I can't party like I once did!)

Also, can I just say, how freakin HOT is Hilarie in Hostages? My God... I just kept saying to myself "She had a child?!" I hope I look like that post baby! Her body is ridiculous amounts of hot!

I also have another plot bunny that I think would be a really super awesome idea... but I'm refusing to post it until I get these stories somewhere... but you never know, maybe it will pop up! Anyway, on with the update, read and review :)

* * *

"Your relationship with your mother, tell me about it."

"Not much to tell really, she was never a "mother" to me, that is until I had a very successful clothing line, then she certainly made her way into my life. A part of me always wanted her love, her acceptance, and if that meant cutting her into my label, then I would if I could get my mother to love me for once… how messed up is that?" Brooke said with a huff as she looked down at the ground, she'd wanted her mother's love her whole life, but then she always remembered what Peyton told her…

"That must've been hard Brooke, growing up without a mother, how did you manage to be alone?"

"Oh I wasn't alone. I always had Peyton and my mother hated that even more..."

"You mother hated that? Why would she hate that?" Dr. Feldman was becoming very intrigued.

"She always hated Peyton. Even when we were kids, but Peyton was always the one to stand by me when things got hard… especially with my mother, no one ever knew how she was, except Peyton. Peyton always used to tell me 'We can't choose our parents, but I can choose you, and that makes everything okay' and she was right…" Brooke leaned back with a slight smile across her face as she thought of Peyton's words.

"It's always important to have someone like that in your life, Brooke."

"Yeah…but I know my mother is part of the reason Peyton's gone. I know it." Brooke replied with anger laced in her eyes.

* * *

Three hours had passed and Brooke sat in the corner of the Detective Wilcox's office impatiently tapping her foot waiting for the girl to be out of questioning. Mia had gone back to the studio after the 12th call from them saying they needed her there to finalize these tour issues. Brooke insisted she go, she really just wanted a chance to deal with this girl by herself, because if she had a clue or where Peyton was, she would show absolutely no mercy towards her, no matter her age.

"Brooke… you're still here?" Detective Wilcox said entering his office with a stack of papers.

"Yeah. I told you. I am not leaving this police station until I have some answers. And I haven't heard any yet, so yeah. I'm still here." Brooke said impatiently, she swore she was down to her last nerve and that was fraying at best, she felt like she was going to explode knowing that Peyton may be so close and feeling so helpless.

"She just got out… Claims she doesn't know her, but we have reason to believe otherwise, but Brooke we really can't get you involved right now. It's all too new, too risky. But I assure you we are going to get Peyton back. Go home… And I will call you as soon as I find out more, I promise." Detective Wilcox said approaching Brooke, he knew how difficult the young woman in front of him could be when it came to her missing best friend, so he knew she wouldn't be getting away that quickly, but he had a job to do, and he wanted to make sure Brooke was safe as well.

"You're fucking kidding me, right?! You're telling me that you think that girl knows something and you want me to just GO HOME?! What if Peyton is here in Tree Hill somewhere suffering and we are just sitting around doing nothing about it… I can't just sit here and do nothing; I've done that for far too long. Peyton needs me, I know it." Brooke said raising her voice and standing up.

"Brooke, I know you're upset dear… but this is a really sensitive topic right now and I really think I got somewhere with that girl. She will be back in the morning to go over some more information… I don't want to put you in danger, we don't know anything about Peyton's situation, what condition she's in… You can't just go in there, flames a-blazing, we have to be careful and smart." Detective Wilcox carefully replied back with a hand upon her shoulder trying to calm the girl, he didn't want to upset her more than she already was, but he was realizing that plan was quickly failing.

"You let her leave?!" Brooke said through gritted teeth.

"We didn't have enough solid evidence to keep her any longer, but my gut says she knows something, so just trust me with this, alright?" Detective Wilcox eyed Brooke hoping she'd agree and let them do their jobs.

"Is that your wife? Your son?" Brooke said pointing at a picture on his desk.

"Yes…"

"Well, imagine if they were both gone. Right now. This second. Wouldn't you do anything to bring them back? Don't they mean everything? You have to bring her back… she's the equivalent of those two in your picture…. And that's been ripped away from me for three and half years now. Do you understand what that's like for me? Do you have any idea?!" Brooke said trying to keep her voice calm but despite it found her eyes tearing up.

Detective Wilcox took a minute to turn his back to Brooke and pick up the frame on his desk and stare at his wife and son, he would do anything to bring them back. Brooke took this as an opportunity. While he looked at the picture frame, she took her cellphone out of her pocket quickly and turned her camera on and snapped a quick, discreet photo of the 'Samantha Walker' on the top stack of files on the desk beside her. She was going to take matters into her own hands. That was a fact.

"You're right Brooke, I would and I promise I'm going to do everything to bring her back to you as soon as possible. I promise you that." Detective Wilcox stated as he turned back towards Brooke. She could read the sincerity in his eyes.

"You better bring her back to me in one piece… call me as soon as that girl gets here tomorrow, or if you hear anything sooner. I mean it… anytime of day, night… you know that." Brooke said gathering Peyton's hoodie, she had a plan and she needed to gather some more information.

"Promise… Try to get a little rest Brooke…" Detective Wilcox responded with a smile.

"I will rest when Peyton's back." She said with a slight smile and walked through the glass doors of his office and out of the station.

Before she started the Comet, she leaned her head back against the headrest and ran her hands through her hair trying to grasp the last few hours. She knew it wasn't normal for her to fall apart like this over just her best friend, her oldest friend, her roommate, the girl that grew into the woman that always stood by her when things got tough. She had figured that out a few years ago and she knew why it affected her so much. It was simple.

She pulled out her phone from her sweatpants pocket and looked at the photo again. She knew exactly where to go to get more information; she flipped through her contacts and realized she had 4 missed calls from Mia.

"Hey, you still at the studio?"

_"Yeah, did you hear anything?! I think I'm stuck here a little while longer, Haley's here too." _

"Perfect." Brooke said ending the call, everything seeming a little clearer.

* * *

_*Flashback* _

_Brooke sat in the far corner with her knees to her chest amidst the chaos of what was left of her store, her dream, it was what she wished for. Everything was still yellow-lined off with police tape for investigating. It had been one week since Peyton had gone missing and she hadn't slept, she found herself aimlessly wandering around at night trying to seek answers. To try to find Peyton. _

_Everyone was being as supportive as they could and Brooke had dove right into doing everything she could to get Peyton back, she just felt empty without her. Everyone was doing everything they could, Nathan had searched every crevice of North Carolina, and they'd keep searching. She had to give her police statement and she explained that Peyton had in fact gone in place of Brooke with the intruders who broke into the store. She never spoke of what Peyton had said, she was eating herself away with guilt and all she needed was to have Peyton back so she could say it back._

_"My god…what happened here? This place looks horrid!" Victoria said pushing her sunglasses to her head, heels clicking across the floor as she entered Clothes Over Bro's. "Brooke, where are you?"_

_"Down here…." Brooke responded with a huff, the last thing she wanted to deal with right now was her mother. "What are you doing here Victoria, you got fired remember? Meaning, you're no longer welcome here… you hate this town any way." Brooke said weakly standing to her feet, if Peyton had taught her anything, it was always to be brave in the face of one Victoria Davis. _

_"Well, if you haven't forgotten dear, I'm still part owner until that silly paperwork of yours goes through, I just got back from Milan to give you the good news, they loved your new line Brooke, they want you to start on it as soon as possible." Victoria added._

_Something then clicked in Brooke, her new line? No one had seen that line except for Peyton because she had sketched a few of the ideas being used…why did Victoria have it?_

_"Excuse me…. My new line? No one had seen that line except for Peyton! How the hell did you get it and why are you pitching my ideas to people without my permission? YOU GOT FIRED VICTORIA, doesn't that mean anything to you?" Brooke said on the edge of a meltdown, this was the last thing she needed. "As a matter of fact…. That line was here, at the store…. Oh my God…." Brooke said feeling like she was going to throw up._

_"So what?" Victoria retaliated in annoyance._

_"SO WHAT?! Peyton was TAKEN from here MOTHER! TAKEN! And it was supposed to be me… it was supposed to be me… How the fuck did you get those sketches?!" Brooke said screaming into her mother's face. She had suspected that her mother would be angry, but she didn't know what lengths she was willing to go in order to get what she wanted. She knew she was a bitch, but deep down she wanted to believe she wasn't completely soulless. _

_"Well, if you ask me that's a blessing, that Sawyer girl was a leech. Maybe now you two will stop playing house and you'll get back to New York where you belong." Victoria said glaring her eyes at Brooke._

_Hell flew into Brooke, she had felt so weak before due to the lack of eating and no sleep, but her adrenaline kicked in and she was seeing red, so much so that she put her hands on her mother and slammed her against the wall, knocking over one of the only remaining standing mannequins. _

_"I love Peyton. And I'm not going anywhere until I find her; you won't win this battle Victoria. I will find your part in this, mark my words and when I do, I'd be afraid of what I will do to you." Brooke said with gritted teeth with her forearm against her mother's throat against the wall. Victoria struggled but Brooke finally released her grip._

_"You've completely lost your mind. I'm not afraid of you, you stupid girl. Expect a call from my lawyers." Victoria added, straightening her clothes and walking towards the door._

_"Bring it on, bitch." Brooke growled back. She was going to get to the bottom of Victoria's hand in this, even if it killed her. _

_The chimes rang over the door to let Brooke know she had left the building…_

_"This is what I wished for…." Brooke said with a whisper crawling back in a ball as a single tear escaped her eye._

_*End flashback*_

* * *

"Hey Brooke, didn't expect to see you here, tell me everything that happened! What did they say?" Mia questioned as Brooke rushed into the studio slamming her purse down.

"Where's Haley?" Brooke demanded.

"She's back in the office, is everything okay?" Mia asked, but before she could get an answer, she was following Brooke back to the office.

"Brooke, uhhhh….. Hi….. Listen about the other night… I'm so sorry… I know… I need to grovel. I miss Peyton too, we all do…. It's just different for you, you two were different with each other so I can't imagine what you're going through… I know I need to be more understanding of that…But I'm trying…" Haley nervously gasped out in one breath as she saw Brooke and Mia quickly entering the room.

"Whatever Haley, all this time you chose to not believe me… you're wrong. You are all wrong. Peyton's going to come home to me. You'll see." Brooke pulled her cellphone out from Peyton's hoodie pocket and directed it in Haley's direction.

"What is this, Brooke?" Haley asked confused.

"Do you know her?" Brooke commanded.

"Yeah…. She's in my 4th period English class, she just transferred here like a month ago, her names Sam… troubled kid, but smart. Really smart…" Haley responded, brows furrowed confused on why Brooke had a picture of the girl.

Brooke let out a breath and pulled up a chair as Mia looked on confused.

"You're going to tell me absolutely everything you know about this girl."

* * *

Please let me know what you think! Your opinions mean a bunch to me :)


	6. Confession

So, I am back with an update! Sorry it wasn't the next day as promised... But I stayed up late to get it posted for you guys :) I've updated my other stories, "Wonderwall" and "When a Heart Breaks" and started a new Breyton story - "Stolen American Secrets", check those out if you are interested - especially the new one, I want to know whether to continue. I must warn you... This may be my last update for awhile, like until November. I will try to update before I leave, but I just can't make any promises, things are just too crazy. I'm going on vacation for my birthday and have a busy week ahead, just wanted to warn you, you may not even notice I'm gone :)

Special shoutout to my buddy xFauxdilocksx who's going to OTH Con this weekend, so jealous and super excited for you meeting Hil, you so deserve it! We can't wait to hear all about it!

Please read and review, reviews are the best things ever and make my days happy :)

Oh - Flashbacks are in _italics_!

* * *

"So you think that your mother would do anything to hurt you? Even having you kidnapped?" Dr. Feldman, as a mother herself, couldn't wrap her head around the theory. How could a mother do that to her daughter?

"I know she would. You've clearly never met my mother…And the attacker knew who Peyton and I were. It makes perfect sense…" Brooke scoffed with a disgusted look on her face.

"What would be your mother's motivation though? She couldn't possibly hate Peyton that much…"

"You have no idea…" Brooke mumbled under her breath.

"What about Peyton's parents, Brooke? They must be having a really hard time with this…" Dr. Feldman responded, she'd always wondered about Peyton's parents, but hadn't brought it up in any of their sessions until now, scared that Brooke would panic.

"Peyton's mom died when we were eight, and her birth mom found Peyton, she died of breast cancer when we were 17, they were both wonderful people who really loved Peyton. But, we mainly just grew up with Peyton's dad, he's the best… He's like the parent I never had…" Brooke said sadly.

"This must be really tough for him…" Dr. Feldman responded, trying to imagine what it'd be like if her child was missing.

"Very…"

* * *

Brooke sat outside the police station, tossing back yet another cup of coffee to her head. She knew that girl was in the police station, and she planned on following her, wherever she went when she got out. She kept trying to piece together what this girl had to do with Peyton's disappearance, and what her mother's involvement was, her hands began trembling at the intake of all the caffeine. She thought about calling Larry, but right now she just wanted to handle this herself at she stared at the station doors.

_It had been two years since Peyton's disappearance and Brooke was going more than a little bit crazy, she realized something, something she'd never said out loud, and she needed to get it off her chest with the only person that understood. She jumped in the car and began driving with a set destination in mind. _

_The only person that could give her some sense of comfort. She stopped only for gas. _

_She'd been driving almost twelve hours with bloodshot eyes, no music, and a lot of caffeine. She saw the "Welcome to Jacksonville" sign knowing she was getting close to her destination. _

_Beating on the door, Brooke waited for a response with shaky hands._

_"Brooke, hi sweetie. What are you doing here?" Larry Sawyer said opening the door rubbing his eyes; it was 3:00 in the morning._

_"Hi Papa Peyton…" Brooke said tracing circles on the porch floor with her converse with her hoodie pulled up over her head. _

_"Oh….sweetie….Come in…" Larry said with a sad look on his face wrapping his arms around the brunette he considered a daughter._

_Brooke and Larry sat out on the back deck overlooking the ocean sipping coffee, tears were still running down Brooke's face, but Larry didn't pressure her. He knew she would talk when she was ready. _

_"I miss her…. I miss her so much it hurts. I feel like I can't breathe sometimes…" Brooke choked out. _

_Larry sat up and joined Brooke on the chair understanding completely how Brooke felt. The first six months of Peyton's disappearance, Larry and Brooke drove cross-country looking for her, trying to find any sort of clue or evidence that would lead them to Peyton, but they had no luck. Empty searches. Again and again. Larry was never good with dealing with his emotions, so he did the only thing he knew how, he dove back into work traveling country to country by boat and only landing at his Jacksonville home every few months keeping in close contact with Brooke along the way, he was the only way he could cope. _

_"I understand sweetie, sometimes I feel like I hear her voice, you know?" Larry said rubbing Brooke's arm up and down. He furrowed his brow, knowing something was obviously on her mind for her drive in the middle of the night to land on his doorstep, "What brought you here, Brooke?"_

_"You're the only one who understands… She has to come back…. She has to…" Brooke said sobbing into his shoulder._

_"She's going to come back, Brooke. Peyton's a fighter and she's not going to give up like that." Larry said looking down into Brooke's eyes, he knew there was more on the brunette's mind, but he didn't want to push her, she was so detached from everything, he didn't want to push her further away. _

_"She told me she loved me." Brooke said between sobs._

_"What? When?" _

_"That was the last thing she told me…. That she loved me and it'd be okay. But it's not okay. It's not okay…" It was the first time Brooke had said what was spoken between them that day out loud. _

_"She does love you Brooke, you know that sweetie." Larry said stroking her hair; he was confused on the sudden declaration from the brunette in his arms._

_"I love her Papa Peyton… I mean, like really love her."_

_"I know sweetie…" Larry continued stroking her arm, if there was one thing he knew for certain, it was that Brooke Davis definitely loved his daughter._

_"No, I'm in love with her… I think I always have been. I will never get to tell her…She will never know…" Brooke breathed out crying into his neck hysterically trying to seek some comfort in having a Sawyer close. _

_"You'll get to tell her Brooke. You will." Larry said kissing Brooke's forehead._

* * *

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Mia said approaching Brooke's car from the driver's side, Brooke intently focused on the police station doors.

"Jesus Mia! You scared me!" Brooke yelled causing the hot coffee to go spilling into her lap as she put her driver's side window down.

"What are you doing, Brooke?" Mia said again.

"Waiting." Brooke deadpanned, Mia knew damn well what she was doing and she wasn't going to let anyone get in her way.

"You know what Haley said, Brooke… These people she hangs around are trouble. Don't do something stupid." Mia added.

"I already did that… the day they took her instead of me." Brooke retaliated.

"Brooke… I love you…. But…"

"But nothing Mia… this is my chance. That girl knows where Peyton is and you're either with me, or you're not. What are you doing here anyway, I thought you were headed back out of town?"

"I'm here because I knew you'd be here, despite what Haley said…. I'm not leaving. You're right, this girl is the ticket and I'm going to help you." Mia said walking around and opening the passenger door and climbing in.

* * *

They sat in silence for nearly two hours and Mia started to doze off, but there was no way she was going to take her eyes off those police station doors. She wasn't going to wait to talk to Detective Wilcox, she wanted answers, and she wanted them now and she wanted to be led to wherever Peyton was.

She reached and felt both necklaces around her neck; she was keeping Peyton's for safe keeping and slapped her face a few times to wake up. The whole thermos full of coffee she had was gone and she was trying to find ways to keep her mind from wondering to the worst possible thing.

"Mia! Mia! Wake up! She's coming outside…." Brooke yelled eyeing the girl who looked annoyed as she threw her bag over her shoulder and starting walking down the street.

"What are you gonna do Brooke? Follow her in a car? That's not at all suspicious…Don't you remember what Haley said…" Mia said eyeing the girl who was walking at a quick pace, whatever they decided, it needed to be quick.

_"She kinda came from nowhere, I asked to speak with her parents about a paper she wrote, it was really good and I wanted to submit it for an essay competition… but she told me not to bother. That no one cared…" Haley said drifting off. _

_"That's everything you know?" Brooke eyed her carefully._

_"When I told her I'd mail it, she said she didn't have a set mailing address… That she moved around a lot. You know me; Nathan says I always try to heal the hurt puppies, so I started watching her when she'd show up to class, which wasn't often. The office has no known address for her and know nothing about where she transferred from, so I'm not sure how she was even able to get in here anyway…" Haley explained. _

_"So, you expect me to believe that this girl just showed up in Tree Hill a month ago and it's all some kind of coincidence? I don't have time for this." Brooke said back standing and heading for the office door. _

_"I saw her leave one day with two guys, she kind of looked afraid of them and when I went to approach her she acted like she didn't know me… They are dangerous, I got that bad feeling about the three of them. You shouldn't go investigating this yourself, Brooke…" Haley pleaded, looking to Mia for assistance, but she stayed quiet. Mia knew that Brooke was going to do whatever she could to get Peyton back. _

_"She knows where Peyton is and I'm going to get her back. I'm not just going to keep sitting around and waiting for something to magically happen Haley!" Brooke yelled fueled with anger. _

_"I believe you, Brooke… I just… I know you and Peyton were best friends since you were kids and you were roommates… but the only person I'd be this broken up over losing would be Nathan, and obviously Jamie…" Haley said confused, it was the one thing she could never understand. Yes, she was heartbroken about Peyton's disappearance, but they continued living their lives, it's what Peyton would've wanted, but the brunette in front of her refused to do so. _

_"What don't you get Haley? She's everything. She's my Nathan." Brooke said storming out slamming the door behind her leaving Mia and Haley staring at each other silently. _

Brooke had been waiting at the police station since early that morning since she knew Samantha Walker would be in questioning.

She was finally going to get her moment to talk to this girl, she just needed to think and act quickly, but her head was jumbled. She knew that she was maybe being a little bit irrational, and maybe even a little crazy, but she had to do what she had to do, there was no other option, right?

"Brooke… she's walking pretty quick, what are we gonna do?" Mia said slightly panicked afraid they'd lose sight of the girl.

Brooke reached for her purse and cocked the loaded weapon. She was done playing games. Brooke Davis was getting some answers.

"JESUS BROOKE! How long have you had a gun? What are you doing?!" Mia yelled.

"I'm getting some answers. And I'm getting Peyton back." Brooke said exiting her SUV putting her sunglasses on.

* * *

Read and review pretty please :)


	7. They're Coming For You

**_Hey everyone! I'm back with an update, I also updated "When a Heart Breaks" and "Wonderwall". I will be updating my other story this week too, I hope! On a side note, I went to Wilmington last week and it was such an amazing place. You could really feel the magic there, especially at the Rivercourt. _**

**_Anyway, on with the update! Flashback in italics. Please read and review :)_**

* * *

As Brooke ran towards Samantha Walker, gun firmly planted in her hand, she heard Mia yelling after her as she looked down, running as though her life depended on it.

She had to get answers. She had to get Peyton. She would stop at nothing…

All she could think about was a session she had just two mornings ago with Dr. Feldman and it was fueling each and every step towards Samantha Walker.

* * *

_"Brooke, are you alright?" Brooke had busted through Dr. Feldman's office door. _

_"I… Need to talk to you. All I've been thinking about lately is how I went to visit Peyton's dad a year and half ago and what I told him…" Brooke said fidgeting with her fingers and the pen in her hands. _

_"Okay…. Why don't you sit down and we can talk?" Dr. Feldman replied confused._

_"No… I… Need to stand and I need to get this out. I've been bottling it up for so long." _

_"Okay…" Dr. Feldman said as she pulled her glasses off looking at Brooke inquisitively. She wondered if this would be it, if Brooke would finally say what had happened… She could only hope. _

_"She… She told me she loved me. And that everything would be okay. You keep asking me what she said before they…uh… you know… Before they uh…took…her from me…" Brooke said clearing her throat looking across the room at Dr. Feldman, Brooke hated using that word. _

_"Is that all she said, Brooke?" Dr. Feldman responded, wondering if this had anything to do with the phone call she had received from Detective Wilcox the previous afternoon. He informed her that they had a suspect. A good suspect._

_"She… She kinda kissed me… And I…. I didn't say anything. I never told her I loved her. I… Didn't do anything… Except for let them take her from me…She said it would be okay." Brooke said crumbling to the floor in hysterics._

_"It sounds like she does love you, Brooke, very much… And she knows that you love her, you didn't need to say it. She knows. I have faith that she will keep fighting wherever she is to come back to you." Dr. Feldman answered approaching the young girl who had fallen to the floor in defeat and was having a total breakdown. _

_"I never said it back…" Brooke continued sobbing as the therapist stroked her arm reassuringly. It had taken her over a year to get Brooke to say these words._

_"She knows, Brooke. I'm sure of it… You can't let this guilt eat at you; it's only going to make things worse… Especially when she comes back. I have full faith that she will come back to you." _

_"Maybe…" Brooke said sniffling, the tears easing just a little. _

_"Have you told anyone this, Brooke? Haley? Mia? Anyone?" She was curious to hear if this was the first she had spoken of what happened in the store that day._

_"I told Peyton's dad… I drove down to Jacksonville in the middle of the night one night and told him. I just… felt like I had to tell him. But that quite was a while ago, him and I talk all the time, you know?" Brooke said still sniffling. _

_"I'm sure he understood… And he knows better than anyone that she loves you. I'm sure he told you that. So… she kissed you? Did you tell Mr. Sawyer that?"_

_"I… uh… Did. He told me he pretty much knew along after we talked about it into the night. He always knew…" Brooke said leaning against the wall, feeling a little at ease that her confession had been spilled to someone other than Papa Peyton and tried to wipe away the free falling tears from her eyes that were still coming out like a leaky faucet. _

_"Knew what?" Dr. Feldman was amazed at Brooke's openness and couldn't help but wonder why she talking about this now…_

_"That I was in love with her… It just took me awhile to come to terms with it. But… I do… I love her more than words could ever say. Peyton was always so selfless when it came to me. I want to be able to do the same for her in return." Brooke said looking off into the distance._

_"So, I have to ask Brooke… Why now? I've been trying to get you to talk about that day for over a year… I've never seen you so open with me." _

_"Because… I… I have a feeling."_

_"What kind of feeling?" Dr. Feldman replied still sitting on the floor next to Brooke. _

_"A feeling that these are my last days without her. She's going to come back… I'm starting to feel that hope. She's coming back." Brooke said lifting her head to meet Dr. Feldman's eyes. _

_"I think so too dear." Dr. Feldman smiled to her slightly, and looking into Brooke's eyes, she felt the girls hope and it rubbed onto her. She hadn't seen, or felt, an ounce of hope in the brunette since she'd been coming to her and it was a pleasant change. She almost felt that Brooke Davis presence and fire Haley always talked about, if only for a moment. _

_"Peyton deserves me to be my best self when she comes home. All this time… I've just been worried about where she is, and how she is… But I never thought about the day I actually laid eyes on her again, you know? She's going to have a really hard time adjusting to life… And things being normal again… And so am I. We are going to need each other more than ever… She's coming home, I know it. And I need to do what's best for Peyton. I love her…" Brooke said. _

_"Whatever you need, Brooke. I'm here. You should let Haley and Nathan in too, and Mia. They love you. And they love Peyton too. And little Jamie has been so worried about you, and about Peyton." _

_"I know…" Brooke said looking down to the floor, the guilt at everything still eating away at her. _

_"Tell you what, I want you to come in here every day from now on and we will talk about how you're going to help Peyton when she gets back. Deal?" _

_"Deal." Brooke said, finally a small smile reaching her lips, but it never reached her eyes._

_"I'm really proud of what you did today Brooke… Peyton would be proud of you for finally talking about this." _

_"Yeah…" Brooke said slowly, "She's coming home."_

* * *

"What the fuck! Who are you lady?" Samantha Walker was firmly pressed against the brick wall of the police station.

"Brooke, come on, this is your plan?!" Mia said looking around to make sure no one was seeing what was happening.

"You know EXACTLY who I am! And I know who you are, Samantha Walker… You better tell me where Peyton is! I'm not playing games with you." Brooke added tightening her grip to the girl's throat.

"I don't know what you're talking about… Just like I told the police. I don't know this Peyton person…" She said not daring to look Brooke in the eyes.

"You're lying, and so help me God… I will find out where she is." Brooke said tightening her hold even more.

"Good for you lady." Samantha said struggling to get out of Brooke's grasp, but Brooke's adrenaline was high and she wasn't going to back down.

"How'd you find the necklace?"

"I told the police… I found it running in the park. Is that a damn crime?" The girl stated in disbelief.

"Yes, it is! Why would you think of returning a simple necklace to a police station? And what did you do… Trip over the fucking thing? It's a necklace, there's no way in hell you saw it." Brooke said meager inches from the girl's face.

"I don't know dude, it looked important… Will you get off me now?!" Samantha stated with a glance to Mia.

Brooke saw Mia's pleading gaze and released her hold on the girl's neck as Samantha began walking away.

"Crazy bitch…" Samantha mumbled, but turned back when she heard the sound of a trigger pulling back.

"You were saying?" Brooke said pointing the weapon at her with her head cocked to the side.

"Whoa, lady… Calm down. We can talk this out." Samantha said looking panicked as she was pressed against the brick wall again.

"Now you want to talk huh?" Brooke said with a smile. "Tell me where you got the fucking necklace!" Brooke yelled edging closer, never putting the weapon down…

"Brooke… you're scaring me a little…" Mia added looking at Brooke, she'd never seen her like this before and it was a pretty frightening sight.

"She… She gave it to me alright?! So I turned it in! Jesus Christ!" Samantha yelled back.

"BROOKE! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Detective Wilcox said approaching as he looked at Brooke with her gun.

"What do you mean she gave it to you, huh?" Brooke said, completely ignoring the Detective as he got closer to Brooke.

"BROOKE!" He yelled again as he was jogging towards where they were standing.

"You need to leave Tree Hill lady, they are coming for you next… And they don't stop until they get what they want." Samantha said lowly looking into Brooke's hardened eyes. Mia was looking back and forth between them trying to figure out what was going on.

Brooke released her grip slightly on Samantha's throat and went to go question her asking what she meant by "They were coming for her…" What the hell did that mean?

Before she could open her mouth to speak she felt herself being thrown to the ground and handcuffs slapped on her wrists as the gun was taken from her possession.

When she looked up the girl was taking off into the woods surrounded by the police station. Mia went to go run after her, but she was being pulled by an authority as well.

"We were so close…" Mia said looking down at Brooke as tears filled both of their eyes. "So close…"

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Brooke?! Have you completely lost your mind?!"Detective Wilcox yelled to Brooke throwing his hands up in the air.

Brooke would DEFINITELY not be apologizing for what she did. She knew she was right about her all along.

"Come on… It's not that bad…." Mia added from the other chair.

"NOT THAT BAD?! She was waving a GUN in a 16 year olds face! Not that bad!" He yelled back.

"She threatened me, and I want my gun back. The law in North Carolina is that I can have a registered weapon, and use it in cases of self defense. She threatened me… I was just doing what I had to and the gun is registered." Brooke said hoping Mia would go along, she needed her gun back.

"Mia?" Detective Wilcox looked at her for some kind of validation to what Brooke was claiming.

"She threatened her. Give her the gun back." Mia said sternly. Internally though, Mia was a little bit afraid of Brooke having the gun again.

He glared his eyes between them trying to check to see if they were lying.

"Fine, Brooke. You will get it back before you leave today… But I think we need to discuss some things. I'm concerned about you, you aren't sleeping, and Mia tells me you're barely eating." He added leaning against the edge of his desk.

"What are you? My therapist now?!" Brooke said agitated reaching and pulling her phone out of her jeans pocket.

"I'm just trying to help, this incident today could've been much worse…" He added.

"Whatever, listen, I got most of the conversation recorded on my phone. I told you this girl had something to do with this… And mark my words when I find out where she is, it will be much worse than today. I can guarantee that." Brooke said harshly.

"Okay… I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that. Let's hear the tape."

As the three of them sat and listened to the tape, Detective Wilcox was vigorously writing down notes in his notepad. As soon as the voice recording ended, they all sat in silence processing what they had just heard. It was even harder for Brooke to hear it a second time and know that she got away, but she wouldn't get away for long.

"By the look on your face, I'm betting you didn't get that from her when you questioned her?" Brooke said smugly.

"Yeah… I… Um…. Yeah, we didn't get any sort of statement regarding that. So basically everything she said in here was lies and the crap story she pulled with us was very rehearsed, I said that to the other Detectives all along." He said nodding his head in disapproval.

"So, what do we do?" Brooke asked, seemingly out of ideas for the moment and completely exhausted in what she'd learned just a few minutes ago.

"We wait, until then though, I'm going to have an on-duty sheriff at your house at all times. We need to make preparations for whoever she's concerned is coming." He added.

"I'm ready. I'm ready for them." Brooke said firmly.

She was prepared for them. She had never been more prepared for anything in her entire life.

She wouldn't fuck this up. Peyton was going to come home.

She had hope.

* * *

**_Read and review! I have a feeling... that the next chapter will be prettttttty important ;)_**


End file.
